


The Darkest Knight

by vannabug



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, M/M, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Multi, No Heroes, Other, The death of Chat Noir, no miraculous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-22 00:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30029976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannabug/pseuds/vannabug
Summary: Marinette loses both her partner and her miraculous in the final fight against Hawk Moth, leading to the murder of both Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste.  Over a year has past and Marinette is starting to seeing him again after feeling like she started to come to terms with his death.  Is she actually losing her mind or is something bigger at play here?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Every Ending Has a Beginning

The people of Paris watched as Ladybug tried to help Chat Noir remove the collar from around his neck, horrified as he gasped for air on camera. Ladybug fought back tears as she tried to destroy the ever tightening weapon around her partner's neck. Hawk Moth stood before them, his akuma proving to be effective after All these years. “Give me your miraculous and he will live Ladybug.” Chat shook his head at the demand, even now he told her no. “or we can see if the nine lives theory is true even for him.” Ladybug looked at her knight, who grabbed her hand as she stood up. 

“Don’t….” He stammered to speak, his own tears running down his cheeks. “D-don’t do it.” He gasped out, squeezing her hand and silently begged for her to stay with him. She shook her head, returning the comforting Squeeze before finally pulling away and removing her earrings letting her façade fade. 

“Just let him go, my Miraculous is yours.” She handed her longtime nemesis the jewelry. A wicked smile grew across his lips, finally seeing who had been fighting for thirteen years. Paris fell quiet as Marinette’s eyes met Chat’s, a sad smile as a tear ran down her cheek. Chat tried to stand to comfort her. He didn’t care who she was, even if he spent every night wondering who he protected this city with, he wanted to prove she will always be his lady. She ran to help him but hawkmoth beat her to him, grabbing the hero by the collar and smirked. 

“It will be nice to watch you die, you stupid alley cat.” Hawk Moth whispered to him, ignoring Marinette's Screams and pleas to stop as he crushed the leathered man's neck. Chat attempted to pull at his hands, to release the collar as it tightened faster wanting to fight for ladybug to the end. Paris watched, gasped and cried with Marinette as they watched Hawk Moth win. 

“Stop please!” Marinette shouted, fighting against Mayura’s hold. Chat looked at Marinette as she attempted to fight back, tears running down her face and neck giving her his final charming smile, mouthing he loved her one last time. Snap… In one second he was gone. Marinette's screams echoed throughout Paris. Hawkmoth let the body of Chat Noir go, pulling the ring from his finger, his own costume disappearing into dust in the wind.

Mayura watched in horror, letting her guard down just long enough for Marinette to catch him before he fell off the building they fought their final fight on. She sobbed, holding the body of both her crush and partner. Hawkmoth stumbled back, looking at the girl with Adrien in her arms. He killed his own son, something he thought he would never do. Hawkmoth fell to his knees besides her, reaching to confirm what his eyes were seeing. “You killed him!” Marinette sobbed into the top of Adrien's head, begging him to wake up. Paris watched in horror as their heroes were gone, the grief Marinette felt seemed to spread throughout the city as they watched Hawkmoth dawn their miraculous. 

  
  


Marinette shot up in bed, catching herself from screaming out his name, a cold sweat covering her body and the feeling of fresh tears on her face. It had been just over a year since the death of Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir, and she was still reliving that day. Her head was pounding, the lack of sleep starting to affect her more and more each night. She still wasn’t used to Tikki not being there for her on nights like this. She wanted to go on patrol, get some fresh air while swinging through Paris, hear his voice as he flirted unapologetically with her but that was no more. She still had people who said sorry for her loss as she walked down the street or while she was working. It never helped any but she found it comforting that everyone wanted to show her they did care. 

She forced herself out of bed, the ringing in her ears faded in and out quicker than the night before. She sighed, sliding on her shoes and her sweater before stepping out to the fire escape, letting the fresh cool air rush over her. She hated that she could see his grave from her home. It was brighter than anything in the city, from all the candles people had lit to mourn the young man who was killed before his twenty-sixth birthday.

Hawk Moth had attempted to bring back both Adrien and his wife but failed. He came to her as himself, holding all four of the miraculous he had, broken and unusable. Gabriel apologized over and over again to her, it didn’t make any difference to her, not only was her partner gone as was the Kwami she grew to call her best friend. She gave him what he wanted to hear but she didn’t mean it, growing to hate him for what he did but understood why he did it. 

She watched the city go along with their lives, people sharing a kiss before walking down the street, a few teenagers reminding her of her own friends in their childhood, running around after each other and pulling each other into the early stages of romance . This was the one thing she didn’t mind about life after Chat had died. People were free to live without worry of being used when they were already low. 

She looked up at the stars, another few tears running down her cheek as a hard breath fought its way out of her throat. “I hope you can see all this… All this good we did. All this good you did.” She laid against the wall as she spoke to nothing. “I miss you so much… There’s so much I wish I would have said to you, Adrien. “ She let out a heavy sigh, looking back at the street. In a flash, a familiar face looked back at her. Her heart stopped for a moment, a rush of hope swept over her as she quickly went to the railing of the fire escape. The greens met hers for a moment and then he was gone. 

Marinette looked a little more frantically than she should have for any signs of him, nothing was left behind besides her heart sinking again. She hadn’t dealt with delusions of him for months and suddenly it was happening again. She reasoned that she was just tired, she needed to sleep and she knew she did. That was it, right? She went back into her home, checking the time. 10:38 pm. She texted Alya before taking a sleep aid and forcing herself to sleep

-Can you call me in the morning? I’m seeing him again…

10:40pm


	2. Calm Before the Storm

Marinette’s alarm awoke her right on time, the annoying repetitive beeping drawing a groan for her. The sun was already filling the room and the smell of flowers in bloom entered her room with the slight breeze that rustled the trees' leaves. She slowly sat up, running her fingers through her hair before stretching after. She reached for her cell phone resting on the nightstand ,looking down at her phone to check if she had received any messages from Alya. She only had one notification that wasn’t games or reminders for her store. 

Surprisingly, Luka had asked if she wanted to get coffee or lunch while he was back in town for a bit to rest from touring. She smiled a little at the message before forcing herself to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed so she could start the shower. As much as she wanted to see him, she wondered if she was actually wanting to enjoy being out or if she should just go to work and call Alya about the night before. She was leaning more towards working again but something told her she needed to see Luka in person, It had been about four months since she had seen him face to face to help him plan his outfits for his concerts. 

She picked at her skin around her nails before stopping, hearing her mothers voice reminding that it wouldn’t solve anything doing this, as she looked at the message. A shower should help she thought, testing the water before hearing her phone ping with another message. Alya had replied much to Marinette's relief. 

>You’re seeing Adrien again? Are you okay? Did someone say something to you?

No, I just woke up in the middle of the night and was getting some fresh air. <

But I swear I saw him, Alya… <

I know it sounds crazy but, It was to real this time<

>I know, girl but it’s not him...Do you want me to come hang out at the shop for a bit?

Maybe… Luka wants to meet up at some time today. Should I go?<

>I think it would be good to get out for a bit, go have fun Marinette. You deserve it more than you know or think. 

You’re right as always. <

>Now if you could just remember than for the future ;) Now go have fun! Get dressed up and everything. 

Marinette felt the butterflies in her stomach slowly fade as she got some form of assurance from her best friend. She tapped her finger on the counter in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror. Something that was apparent was that she had been crying in her sleep again, something she knew just by how puffed up her eyes were and how red her nose was. She splashed some water on her face before stepping into the shower enjoying the water running down her back. She closed her eyes, trying to relax but heard a familiar voice. 

“It's okay Marinette...You will be okay.” Tikki’s voice rang in her head, causing her to quickly open the shower curtain, positive she was hearing the tiny god once again. She looked around even to where the miraculous were stored, hoping to see her again. Nothing. Of course it was nothing. Marinette groaned, feeling like she took one step forward but about a hundred steps back. She hadn’t heard their voices in about seven months, not this vivid anyway. She washed her face, fighting the urge to cry once again, taking a few deep calming breaths before finishing up her shower. 

  
  


She stepped out and dried off, pinning her long midnight black hair back as she picked something out to wear. She looked through the closet, pulling out a couple shirts to pair with a pink pencil skirt she had already picked out. She felt something gently fall next to her. The box holding all the unused miraculous’, slightly opened. She kneeled down to pick it up, her old earrings falling out. 

She scooped them gently into her hands, running her thumb over the spotted jewel embedded in the metal. “I wish I could talk to you again, Tikki…” She noticed the little spark that came from the earrings, something they did since they were destroyed. “You just stay in there, I’ll be okay. You need rest.” She whispered, wishing she had some answers on how long it would take for them to fully heal. She knew a miraculous could be fixed but she was never sure how long it would take. 

Part of her wanted to try to see if her lucky charm would bring him back, but Gabriel said he had tried that already to no positive results. Marinette came back to reality hearing her phone ringing. She grabbed her phone answering the call before even looking at who was calling her. 

“Hello, This is Marinette.” She answered, quickly getting back to getting ready for the day pulling a white off the shoulder blouse.    
  
“Hey  darning, I hope I’m not waking you up.” Luka’s voice rushed over her with a sense of calming she seemed to need in the moment. She felt herself smile at his little nickname for her as she sat on her bed. 

“Not at all, you know me… Never sleeping.” Marinette jokes, a half hearted laugh following after she spoke. “I was just getting ready to text you back. I’d love to get together today.” 

“Great! You’re still at the same address right? I can come pick you up from work if that’s alright. Besides I want to come check out your new line. People in the States really like your work, I get asked all the time about who I’m wearing.” He chuckled into the phone, seeming to try to give her some good news to put her mind at ease. 

“That's so amazing! Thank you Luka.” Marinette was realizing how much she did miss being around him. “So lunch today?” She asked, tapping her foot, hoping he still wanted to meet sooner rather than later. 

“Sounds great, I’ll come by around noon. I can’t wait to see you Darning.” Marinette smiled, giving a nod, realizing shortly after that he would not know that she was agreeing. 

“Perfect. See you soon Luka.” She hung up the phone, taking a deep relaxing breath as she finished getting ready. 

  
  
  


It wasn’t long before her first customer of the day came through, looking through all of her available items, including some Chat Noir inspired works she had done to help raise money for a charity she knew Adrien always helped out. She smiled a bit as the bell rang when the door opened, giving her a small heads up that someone was in. “Hi, welcome. Let me know if I can help you at all.” She called out, going back to getting her register set up. She looked up to see Chloe standing in front of her holding a to go coffee cup, offering a smile.    
  
After the death of Adrien, Chloe actually was one of Marinette's biggest supports. A surprise to everyone but it was a nice friendship that Marinette was extremely grateful for. “How’s your morning going?” She asked, setting the cup down for Marinette, taking a sip from her own cup. 

“It’s going… Thank you for this.” Marinette said picking up the paper cup, more excited to get that first hit of caffeine to rush through her body. “You know pretty much everyone right? Has anyone come into town that looks like Adrien?” She asked, shutting the drawer of the register and checking on her orders from online, trying to keep somewhat busy as she asked her strange question. Chloe shook her head, leaning on the counter looking at Marinette with a slightly worried look. 

“No, why?” She asked, concern clear in her tone of voice. Marinette took a deep shaky breath, shaking her head to act as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Marinette?” Chloe asked, taking note of how anxious she was suddenly. She knew it wasn’t out of the normal for her right now but it still worried her. 

“I thought I saw him last night. It was so weird because he looked so real, not like before you know? He was solid, he was standing there but in a blink he was gone.” She confided in the blonde, giving her her own worried look as she tried to explain the difference in feeling from before to now. Chloe gave a small nod, showing she knew what she was trying to get at. 

“It’s not weird Mari, you’re grieving. I’d honestly be more worried if you weren’t feeling a bit overwhelmed. I know it’s been a rough year for you and everyone else, you just need to relax and you are welcome to call me when you need someone to talk to.” She reminded her, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “You need a small vacation, come with me to London next month. I think it would be good for you to get away for a bit.” 

  
  


Marinette gave a nod, starting to feel like she did need a change of pace even for a long weekend. “I might take you up on that offer.” She smiled a bit, turning to face her. “Thank you, Chloe… You have honestly been so helpful.” Chloe smiled and gave a playful wink, knowing how hard it had been for the two of them to trust each other but having a good friendship in the end of it. 

“Of course. I have to go to work, but call me if you keep seeing him.. I’ll talk to you while you calm down okay?” She assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We can go out this week or something, start living life again. You know he’d kick your butt for blaming yourself for so long… It’s okay to move on.” Chloe offered another small smile before grabbing her cup and waving goodbye as she left the store. Marinette waved back, looking down at her coffee and taking note of Chloe’s advice. Maybe it was time, and she was right. Both Adrien and Chat would tell her to go live her life, go find an adventure that she could enjoy but it didn’t make moving on any easier. She looked up as she heard the door open again but no one entered her store, nothing too crazy, people would often take a peak before entering. 

Her heart sank once again, seeing what looked to be Adrien standing across the street. She took a moment, closing her eyes and counting to three. “It’s not him Marinette... It’s not him.” she whispered to herself before opening her eyes and still seeing him standing there. She had to check, she had to make sure it wasn’t really him. She grabbed her cellphone, taking a deep breath as she left her store for just a moment to go check. She started slowly, a few steps at a time, before finding herself running towards him. He was still standing there, looking at her with those green eyes she missed so much. 

She heard a car honk, drawing her attention before realizing she was standing in the middle of the road, freezing as a truck warned her to move again, a hand grabbed her arm pulling her back to the sidewalk. She squeezed her eyes closed, preparing for the worst before finding herself in a familiar warmth and comforting hug. 

“What the hell are you doing Marinette?” Luka asked, holding her to him tightly as he looked at her concerned. Marinette blinked, looking behind her and not seeing Adrien. Luka looked towards where she did, bringing her back into her shop and locking the door. “Are you okay?”

Marinette gave a nod, taking a seat behind the counter. “I’m fine…” He followed behind her, helping her if she needed it, kneeling in front of her. She hid her face in her hands, tears starting to fill her eyes. He moved her hands, cupping her cheeks in his own hands, his thumbs brushing away her tears as they fell, “I-I’m so sorry Luka…” She mumbled, meeting his eyes. 

Luka pressed a kiss to her forehead, trying to comfort her the best he could. “You saw him again didn’t you?” He asked, pulling her back into his arms, where she easily moved into, hiding her face into his chest as she gave a half hearted nod, shuttering as she cried into him. He wrapped his arms around her, humming the song he wrote for her so many years ago. “Shh…I’ll be here Darning…I’m here.” He flicked off the lights, letting her take her moment as he hummed. He knew she couldn’t work like this. “We’re taking a couple days off… You deserve it.” He whispered to her, getting another nod in agreement. He sighed, texting Alya that he was with her. Marinette stayed in his arm, quietly sobbing but grateful for him being there even now. 

“Thank you Luka…” She whispered, holding him a bit tighter. 


End file.
